We Americans typically do not get enough sleep. When you don't your IQ drops temporarily (that may explain a few things) and your stress levels go up. I like to sleep. But, I am a procrastinator and have a demanding job. So I stay up late grading, or test writing, or doing essential chores such as changing cat boxes. And then I get up early to teach. I end up running short of sleep for days. Then one day it catches up with me. I become uncooperative - No I WON'T stay to help you through this experiment, you can do it yourself - and I go home, and I crash. Today I slept almost 4 hours, unexpectedly. I got home at 6:00, skipped my pilates class, watered my newly planted vegies and flowers, came inside around 8 p.m., and BAM. I slept until almost midnight. My circadian clock, for whatever reason, is set to always be awake at midnight. I have to be sick or extremely, extremely tired to sleep through midnight. So, the result? It is 4:30 a.m. and I am still awake *sigh*. I hate seeing it get light before I sleep.
This is the kind of thing one is supposed to do as a teenager or in your early 20's. Can I outgrow it now? Please? I do not suffer from insomnia at all. I suffer from night-personess, and naps disordering my internal clocks... if I have any. My time sense is terrible. I have no ability to gauge how long anything is taking. All is relative and in flux. Chaos. It is the way the world is to me, wonderous and beautiful and uncertain.
About Me
- H
- I am a solitary creature. Not from dislike of my fellows, but just by my nature. I tend to absorb completely in whatever I am doing, losing track of everything else. It is a strength and a weakness. I am not a multitasker. I think the world is an amazing and beautiful place. The more we know about it, the more astounding it is.
Maukie - the virtual cat
3 comments:
That sounds exactly like my typical sleep schedule. I hate it because I become a different (nastier) person when I'm exhausted, but I just can't seem to sleep at night.
When given total sleep/wake freedom, I always end up sleeping between 8am and 4pm, like clockwork. No trouble staying in THAT schedule.
"We American's typically do not get enough sleep. "
I'm not sure you can make that kind of broad generalization.
And no apostrophe.
But it's certainly true that you don't get enough sleep, H. It worries me at times. But we've been down this road before... so, perhaps best to leave it at that.
And waking up at midnight after a 4-hour nap is precisely why I don't nap, no matter how tired I am. If I don't keep to a sleep pattern, I get hopelessly messed up. If naps disorder your internal clock, don't nap.
Thanks for the editorial comments *smiles*. I have removed the apostrophe. About Americans and sleep. It is a topic that interests me as it effects learning and performance. So I am reasonably up on the subject.
There is some evidence that drug companies try to raise panic about the ill effects of not enough sleep. However studies showing that those who get 6-8 hours live longer than those who get 8 to 10 are flowed by not screening out those who have illnesses severe enough to cause loss of energy and additional time sleeping.
Some links:
http://www.sleepfoundation.org/hottopics/index.php?secid=16&id=369
http://www.apa.org/topics/whysleep.html
http://www.ynhh.org/healthlink/cardiac/cardiac_3_03.html
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0GDQ/is_4_25/ai_62111298
Apparantly the Japanese have the same problem, if not worse:
http://www.physorg.com/news69083908.html
And of course loss of sleep has been correlated with weight gain in American women. *Thinks about the 5 hours I got last night* Maybe I'll take a nap.
Post a Comment